Prepping to Purge

Wednesday was my day to look after Jacob and work from home provided schools weren’t closed due to the snow storm. To that end, I got out of bed at my usual time and treated the morning like any other work day. Regardless of how the day unfolded, I wanted to have my exercise and run routine out of the way before Mindy left for work. A quick check of the local school closings revealed none that were relevant to us. It snowed a little more over night bringing our storm total to about 4 inches of new snow. Nice and fluffy too. The temperature was around 18 degrees, very familiar territory this winter. Exercise and Frankie were taken care of in a hurry. At 6a I poured a cup of coffee then relaxed for a few just ahead of meditation and stretching. At 630a I delivered the pug and coffee to Mindy, who was already in the shower. Five minutes later I was heading out the door for my run. I ran 4.1 miles on mostly plowed streets. No complaints about the city’s snow removal. They do a good job. The run was nice. Felt like a million dollars. Back at home Jacob was already on the sofa where he would ultimately spend most of his day. Bella and I enjoyed our breakfast time together like normal. After eating I contacted my boss, peer and team to let them know that I’d be working from home. I felt kind of dirty since I was scheduled off on Thursday. Not sure why I felt that way though. Work is work, regardless of where I am. Mindy left near her usual time. She asked that I take good care of Jacob. Of course! Because I didn’t need to shower immediately or drive, I actually got busy with work much earlier than most other work days. I was at it by 745a, although I still had to get Bella on the school bus. We were expecting Lillian around 745a. Mindy said I volunteered to get her on the bus too.  She never showed. Frankie and I took Bella to the bus at her usual time. It was odd being out with just Bella (no Jacob, no neighbors). I walked Frankie out front like I do almost every other day. She pooped a second time. Inside, I checked on Jacob who was sound asleep. I spent the next two hours working diligently from my home office. I was able to take care of some personal stuff on my home PC at the same time. The day moved swiftly. Around 10a Jacob woke and got a book. He remained on the sofa reading for hours. I’ve never known a 10 year old to read so voraciously. Despite being ill, he was still grounded from screens. Mindy made that very clear. Mindy phoned just before 11a to check on Jacob. She requested I take his temp and administer more Tylenol. I followed her directions giving him two adult Tylenol capsules. Sometime near noon I took a break from work and went to the basement determined to sort through the numerous boxes that have been resting under the steps since Kelly and I moved in now almost 17 years ago. I was certain that most of it was junk. I looked through every box making sure I wasn’t tossing out a family treasures. In the end, there was about half a box of trinkets that the kids made that I decided to save, and then a box containing my ancient album collection. Everything else was trash. During the process, I almost talked myself into keeping all of my Columbus State Community College degree work from 20+ years ago. In a single box I had every paper, every assignment I ever turned in. I read over a few then reminded myself of the larger goal. Purge! I decided it needs to go. What was I saving it for? Who would want it? That decision was liberating. After about an hour and then a shower, I returned to work the rest of the afternoon away. At some point I made some lunch and asked Jacob if he was hungry. Nope. He wanted nothing. It continued to snow through most of the afternoon, although without much additional accumulation. It was pretty though. The work day went incredibly fast working from home. Even after my shower, I stayed in either my running clothes or PJs all day long. I was dressed for comfort. Late afternoon I book our rental car for our Mt Bachelor ski vacation. I booked a minivan to ensure that we can tote all of our ski gear as well as five adults. Happy to have all that taken care of. Now we wait. Mindy got home shortly after 4p. Can’t recall if she got home before or after Bella got off the bus. Doesn’t matter. Since Jacob was still sporting a fever, Mindy decided immediately that she was staying home again on Thursday. I was already scheduled off, too, but planning to go skiing. Mindy brought home the leftovers from her potluck chili. I chose that as my dinner. At about 525p I pretty much detached my tether from work. Not too stressful of a work day at all, but also not as rewarding as a day in the office. I don't think I could work from home on a consistent basis. Mindy warmed me a big bowl of chili shortly after letting go of work. I topped it off with shredded cheese and sour cream. It was good, but also very spicy. Despite washing it down with a cold glass of milk, I could feel the heartburn coming on fast. After dinner, Mindy reluctantly left to fetch more milk after discovering that we were nearly out. She bought only one half gallon at the grocery on Sunday. When she returned, Bella asked if she could go down and play with Makayla. Mindy called Chrissy to see if that was OK. Mindy walked her down. While Bella was away, and while Jacob rested on the sofa, I read in the living room. The basketball Buckeyes were playing on TV, but since Jacob was grounded from screens and resting comfortably in the family room, I didn’t have the heart to relegate him to his room. I opted to keep reading, which was a far better choice for my blood pressure anyway. I did, however, pop up and check the score online a time or two. The Buckeyes were ahead by 2 points just minutes into the second half. Yikes – a close game! Kenny walked Bella home around 845p. He was fresh home from a week in Florida. We chatted briefly about his trip, but also about my plan to ski on Thursday. He was mixed about joining me. I was going regardless. He hurried back home to catch the end of the Buckeye game. I did a little more reading. After both kids were in bed I poured a Jack and Coke and went to the family room to watch some Science Channel. There I watched a program about earthquakes. Interesting perspective. Apparently the PNW is one of the most vulnerable corridors for a 10.0 magnitude quake. However, the Midwest is vulnerable too. Mindy headed to bed before 10p. I stayed up sipping the rest of my drink and getting nappy watching TV. I dosed off on the sofa, but not for too long. I woke and headed for bed around 1030p.